Professor Leigh Sparks is in no doubt that transformational work is happening to make towns across Scotland better, reimagining and revitalising them following decades of neglect.
What he would like to see is more of it. And the highly-respected retail academic and author is certain that initiatives such as Scotland Loves Local – urging people to support local businesses and encouraging communities to work together to drive positive developments forward – have an important part to play.
As Chair of Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), the organisation which spearheads Scotland Loves Local, he has been involved with the campaign encouraging people to choose local since its launch as a coronavirus recovery initiative and has overseen its evolution into a platform to boost regional economies and the innovation which is forging a new future for them.
Speaking as Scotland Loves Local marks its fifth anniversary, Prof Sparks said: “If we look at individuals, look at community groups, local authorities and Business Improvement Districts across Scotland, we have a network of people doing great things around our town centres to drive them forward.
“It’s going to be different in different places. We shouldn’t expect it to be the same everywhere. Places are individuals and the people who make them up are individuals.
“There are so many good things going on that it’s trying to get more of that.
“We should be encouraged with what’s happening and we should be encouraging people more in the way that they do it.
“Town centres are great places. We’ve got massive innovation in lots of our town centres. We just need now to build on that, get more of it and get everyone pulling in the same direction.”
Much of that work will be in the spotlight as part of Scotland Loves Local Week (August 23-30), as the personal determination which is driving change is recognised by its People Make Places theme. Achievements will also be celebrated as part of the Scotland Loves Local Awards, entries for which close on August 20.
But how can it be accelerated?
Prof Sparks, who authored the New Future for Scotland’s Towns report for the Scottish Government which was published in 2021, believes progress has been made through the establishment of Scotland’s Town Centre Action Plan and the creation of the Place Principle.
He, however, believes that there is more that could be done to help communities achieve their aspirations.
“New Futures identified the need for improved policy and fiscal measures and for the continued need for investment into community wealth building, digital and town centre living, driving people back into the centre,” Prof Sparks said.
“We’ve done well on policy and investment. Where we perhaps have more work to do is on the fiscal elements.
“We’ve got great things happening in lots of towns across Scotland – and great initiatives – but it’s almost in spite of the system, rather than because of it.
“If we could change the VAT system, if we could change the rates system and think about how we use taxation to stop things happening that adversely affect our places and to make it easier for organisation and businesses in town centres to do the work that they really want to do, I think we’d have more thriving town centres as a consequence.
“They’re going to be different. Town centres have been in evolution. They’re going to continue to evolve and change. But the way we’ve got things now, we could do a little bit better to help.”
- You can read more from Professor Leigh Sparks on his blog, Stirling Retail.
- And you can read inspirational stories of change in the Be Inspired section of STP’s website – www.scotandstowns.org.
- For the latest news on Scotland Loves Local, follow STP’s accounts on LinkedIn, X and Facebook. Join in the conversation using the hashtags #ScotlandLovesLocal and #ChooseLocal.
Read more: Five years of Scotland Loves Local
